After Revenge
by NeverDust
Summary: Hinata misses Neji so much... and the wrong words are all it takes...


After Revenge

By: Junsui Chikyuu

March 24, 2005

* * *

She was quite sure. Nothing could change her mind, sway her opinion, misdirect her knowledge. 

She was quite sure. There was nothing left. No one there. Not a single thing or soul she could reach out to or call her own.

Except maybe the memories.

But she didn't want them.

She ran from them.

She left the bodies unburied where they'd landed. She couldn't touch them.

It was _his_ fault, really. He made her into what she was. He allowed all of _this_ to happen.

It was his fault for dying – so young, so strong, the genius, and yet, he couldn't even get himself back home to her.

She'd allowed him to use her as an outlet to his anger because, really, they both deserved it.

But _Goddamnit_! He _owed_ her to come back safely! To be the prodigy, the genius, everyone thought he was!

"At least he'd killed the other man first," they'd say. "He at least didn't dishonor us in that way. He completed his mission. His destiny is fulfilled." As if they were talking about a dog.

She'd never been so angry. Determined.

Yes. Determined to teach them all a lesson.

Her father was the first to go. He'd used to say, "It is great fortune that he has left us." Loud enough so that she might hear. "He was always in the way – like trash."

She used to bite her tongue.

But not anymore.

Now he has to be quiet instead.

And just to be sure… she slit his throat and cut out his tongue.

When they found out they tried to avenge him. But she already had the element of surprise. The others fell quickly.

She spared some of the branch house – his family. Only those loyal to the main house had to be dealt with. She left most of the children too. They hadn't done anything. They hadn't laughed when the Hokage suggested he be considered a martyr. They hadn't gotten together and decided that he did not deserve a place of honor in the house – that they barely owed it to him to give him a proper grave, a proper burial because of all the trouble he'd caused. No. They hadn't done that. So the children could stay, carry on the line. Those other bastards had to go.

She would have spared her mother, had she still been alive. And she allowed Hanabi to live. She would never do anything to hurt her little sister. In the past. But she had wanted to kill her. When she saw her crying over their excuse-for-a-father's body.

How could she waste her tears on him?

Hinata had her by the throat. She'd told her, softly, reminiscent of what her voice usually sounded like, that he was not worth her tears. Pretty, strong, little girl… don't cry. But she didn't stop.

Hinata dropped her.

"Continue the line," she'd said, "without this branch house bullshit." It was how Neji would have wanted it.

But she was quite sure, as she ran away from Konoha, Neji would have scoffed at her for her loss of control. He would have hated her for making so many orphans. Her lack of honor when she's killed her family. He would have looked down on her for her reasoning behind it all. After all, he was never quite so self-centered as all that.

He would hate her for running away.

But all that mattered right now was the sound of the ANBU overhead. The beating of her heart – after all, she had to make it look like she wanted to get away or they wouldn't do what she wanted them to.

Naruto was one of them. Kiba and Shino too. That's what was taking so long. They didn't want to do it.

She felt horrible for doing this to them. But Neji was waiting for her.

She threw a kunai. Kiba was so surprised that it skinned his arm.

She knew that would be all she'd have to do.

Hinata treasured the pounding of her blood, the sting of breath in her lungs, Akamaru's soft whimpers resonating in her ears and the feel of the kunai as she allowed it to pierce her throat.

Watched with the byakugan as the world around her began to fade.

And waited for Neji to come and scold her for being so sloppy.

She waited.

And smiled.

* * *

I had absolutely nothing in mind when I started writing this. It was just something random in my journal. And then, suddenly, without my permission, it evolved! Not very well… but just a bit. So please let me know what you think! 


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